Rachel Berrys Good Year
by Lizzy Teffer
Summary: Rachel transfers to Hogwarts midterm and is a mystery to all. After forced by Slughorn to learn more about the American diva, Tom convinces himself that it's merely the mystery of the girl that infatuates him. Better summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

_Rachel Berry has had to transfer from Beauxbaton to Hogwarts midterm, and Tom Riddle is determined to find out what had the American diva running so far away from home. Horrace Slughorn is determined to place her on his trophy shelf along with the other prized students, and it seems Berry is trying to avoid it. Tom tells himself his infatuation is only because of the mystery she presents. Is it really?_

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><p><em><strong>DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee or Harry Potter. I do, however, own the tie I am currently wearing around my head..<strong>_

**A/N: O-kay guys! I'm going to give this a chance. I have big plans for these two, and if you really think about it..they're kind of perfect for eachother. I will warn you in advance though, there will be no smut in this. It's rated T for language. Please review, though, I'd love to have a little feedback:D and send me a PM if you'd like to beta for me..it'd be greatly appreciated.**

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><p>"Class," Slughorn said, "I know we don't normally have new students midterm, but this is an interesting case." Tom Riddle looked up from the parchment he was currently doodling on. Horrace would love to believe that Tom took notes like a great little Slytherin…but no..he doodled almost the entire time that they weren't actually making potions. "… Beauxbaton..she's a bright student." Horrace interrupted his thoughts. Beauxbaton? He asked himself. So she had to be French…and beautiful. Tom wondered why she was transferring to Hogwarts. "Her name is Rachel Berry. She should be here soon, Headmaster Dippet can't finish her tour," Tom feigned interest as Slughorn directed his next sentence at him, "So Tom, I volunteered you to finish the tour. I want you to make it your job to make her feel at home. I see a lot of potential in Miss Berry."<p>

Slughorn saw potential in her? Well. Now Toms' interest wasn't just fake. "I'm sorry," he said. "What did say her name was again?"

"Berry. Rachel Berry." said a high pitch voice from the doorway. Tom turned and put on a dazzling smile that seemed to make all girls and teachers swoon. "I'm Riddle. Tom Riddle." she walked forward and stuck her hand out bravely. "Ravenclaw."

Tom winked, shaking her hand. "Slytherin."

Rachel Berry screwed her face up in thought, "Oh." she said, looking him over as he picked up his things.

"I expect you both back here after lunch, Tom!" Slughorn called as Tom dragged her away. "Oh, I'll make sure of it, Professor!" Rachel called back.

"How far into the tour have you gotten, Berry?"

"Well, my common rooms, and now, all of the classes. All that's left is the sights." she said, smiling.

"You're American." Tom noted, with surprise. "I am." she said, her brown eyes sparkling with amusement.

"And you're not french. though you certainly do have a certain quality of most Beauxbaton girls." she blushed at Toms scrutinizing eyes. "That would be?" she asked. "beauty, of course." Oh.

"Well, let's continue on our way, shall we?" He turned and started walking, not looking to see if Berry was following. "So what brings you here?" he asked. "Well..erm..I..uh." she stammered. "bad subject?" he asked. she nodded, blushing. "alrighty. How do you like Hogwarts, so far?"

"Wonderful!" The Berry girl gushed, "it's so much better than Beauxbaton!"

Tom looked at her incredulously, "really?" Berry nodded enthusiastically, "a lot nicer, too.." she muttered under her breath. Tom looked over at her, but she was busy focusing her gaze along the corridor they were currently traveling through.l

He led their way through a set of huge wooden doors to the outside, "First stop, Ms. Berry, is the Quidditch pitch."

"Whoa." she breathed. "Didn't have this at Beauxbaton?" he asked lightly, looking more interested than he was. "The boys were a bit prestigious, so…no." Tom smiled ruefully, _Not a huge shock._

Tom answered her questions about Quidditch, and when they were done he took her around the school, the owlery, the great hall, the skirts of the Forbidden Forest. finally, near the end of the tour, he decided that if he didn't learn more about her, Slughorn would probably tie the two of them together until he did.

"So…you're American.." he said lightly, interrupting whatever she had been saying. "That was already stated, but yes."

"and you're coming from Beauxbatons?" he asked.

"well, generally."

"why were you there?"

"same reason I'm here now, Riddle." she said in a clipped tone.

"touchy, touchy." he smiled.

"I have every right to be."

"Well, an outsider wouldn't know that, now would he?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Does Hogwarts have a choir?" Berry asked suddenly.

"You sing?" questioned Tom.

She winked, "next part of the tour?" she suggested smoothly.

"Last part of the tour. the astronomy tower." they climbed the steps, and with a flourish, Tom said, "the best view in hogwarts."

Berry eyed him appreciatively, "That's arguable." she said quietly. "Hmm?" Asked Tom, lifting himself onto the edge of the wall.

"Don't do that!" she nearly screeched. "Do what?" he asked nonchalantly. "Sit on the edge like that!" she said, coming closer. "It's fine, Berry."

"You're going to give me a heart attack!" said Berry, grabbing his hand and pulling him down. "Calm down, I'm fine." he said impatiently. Looking down, Tom realized their hands were still linked. He pulled his hand away just as Berry was looking down.

An awkward silence consumed them, and Tom decided that this was no way to learn information for Slughorn. "So...you sing?" he leaned causally against the wall.

She smiled proudly, "I do indeed, Mr. Riddle."

From the glint in her eyes and her attitude, Tom guessed she was a diva. A damn good one too. Horrace would be pleased, at least. Tom, on the other hand, not so pleased at having to deal with a diva. Though thoroughly amusing, she's also not exactly an eyesore. But the attitude...was indeed a mood killer.

"Want to hear me sing?" Berry asked, rudely interrupting Riddles thoughts. "I-Er. No." He said, and almost took his answer back as some of the light left her eyes. "Never mind then." She said, her feathers ruffled.

"After lunch...I'm sure Professor Slughorn would love to hear you. He has a keen eye for the arts." Berry smiled happily. She'd get to show off her talents and play teachers pet. Ravenclaws, Tom scoffed. Thrive on attention.

Berry interrupted his thoughts once again, "Arts? you mean like, acting, too?"

"I'm sure."

"my dads just love plays! do you think Professor Slughorn would be able to tell them where to find good wizarding ones here, in England? they've been searching for a while now, but they've been busy with my school stuff..." Berry was playing with her tie, her words trailing off as she caught Tom staring at her.

"'dads'?" he asked, incredulously. Her eyes guarded, she smiled, daring him to insult the fact her parents were gay. "Is there a problem with that, Riddle?"

Only a Slytherin eye could have caught the slight movement in her right hand as Berry crossed her arms indignantly. Merlin, she had her wand at ready! Tom, actually, for a moment, worried about his life if he answered there was a problem.

"Well, yes. Kind of!" he added hastily as Berry almost whipped her wand out. "I was wondering, how do you know about your past then? how do you know if your half blood or pure blood?"

All of a sudden, Berrys' stance relaxed and she started laughing. "Half blood or pure blood?"

"You don't think that's an important issue?"

"Of course not!" she wheezed, "Why would it be?" Tom shoved his anger aside. "I don't know." he chose his words carefully. "You really don't know if you're half blood?"

She giggled, "Nope. I don't. Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for lunch, and I have to be well fed to give a good performance."

Tom watched her go. He told himself he was only infatuated with her purely because she was a mystery. Nothing more.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Oh, Umh, wow. I didn't even expect to get one review, wow. Thank you, so much you guys:D As a side note, I know a lot of people see Rachel as Slytherin, but she doesn't fit there, if you think about it. It's partially explained in this chapter by our favourite Mister Tom Riddle, but if you'd like, I can give you an in depth explanation in the next chapter as to why I think Rachel belongs in Ravenclaw. But you're right, she could easily be a Slytherin, everyone has an opinion, eh?:3**

**Do I have to put a disclaimer? I could only **_**wish**_** I owned Glee and HP.**

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><p>Tom was gouchy all of lunch, and it was all that Berry girls failt. Why? Because Tom was use to finding out <em>what<em> he wanted to know _when _he wanted to know. Not this bloody _guess work_ he has going on!

Not only that, but he had to listen to her performance with Slughorn after lunch. What if her "diva mode" was all a façade? What if she was horrible? Maybe he had acted rather rashly with the American Diva—which he had appropriately nicknamed her.

Tom groaned and hit his head on the table, narrowly missing the plate of uneaten food in front of him. _Salazar strike me down, she's making me doubt myself._

_Speak of the devil…  
><em>She had just walked into the Great Hall, despite leaving the Astronomy Tower before him.

He didn't know if she had genuinely been lost or if she was being "fashionably late". Either way, The American Divas presence was enough to put Tom Riddles teeth on edge. She gained a lot of attention, for a few reasons.

She was a new student—_midterm. _

She _was_ really pretty.

Well, she _had _come into the Great Hall awfully late…

Tom tried not to scowl as Rachel Berry smiled and waved at him from her seat at the Ravenclaw table. Instead, the young Riddle smiled charmingly, nodding politely in her direction. It wasn't until she looked away did he scowl into his goblet of pumpkin juice.

Just where did she get off being so bloody cheery? She had just laughed in his face when brought up being mudblood or pureblood! _The nerve! _Tom scoffed. _Contrary to her belief, it _was _as important issue!_

"Are you alright, Tom?" a voice broke through his inner turmoil.

"Oh, yes, Professor Dumbledore." Tom said distractedly.

"I was told Headmaster Dippet and Professor Slughorn introduced you to yound Ms. Rachel Berry." The Professor noted, a twinkle to his eye.

When Tom failed to retort, Dumbledore only smiled. "Have a good day, Tom."

Once again, Tom Riddle found himself scowling into his pumpkin juice,. The old bat Dumbledore was always in his business! He always had to watch steps around the seemingly innocent Professor. One slip and he could be in a load of trouble with the way that git pieced things together.

A voice once again broke his train of thought. This time, it was high pitched and informative. "Hey, Riddle. We have to meet Professor Slughorn, remember?"

Tom looked up, fighting the urge to snap at Berry. Instead, he plastered on a smile. "Of course, Berry. Give me moment, I'll meet you by the doors." When she didn't budge, he sighed. "You know, the big wooden ones, near the front of the room?" His tone was impatient as he looked down, shoving more books slowly into his bag.

When he looked up again, she still hadn't moved an inch. His tone went from impatient to annoyed. "Fine." Tom said, picking up the pace. Slinging his bag over his shoulder angrily, he snapped an annoyed "Ready?"

Berry was smiling proudly, bouncing on her heels. "Yep!"

Tom turned his body before scowling. He had to be in her good books. As he moved past the big wooden doors and headed down a staircase a few dozen feet to their left, Tom chanced a look at his companion. He smirked at the awkward and uncomfortable air about her. He guessed from the Diva attitude, she was use to being in charge. The urge to tease her was at the tip of his tongue.

He held it down though. _Be in her good books. _He reminded himself, sharply. Taking another look at her, it was awfully hard to fight down the comment. He needed an incentive. And fast. He could ask Horrace for a favor for doing this. For _information._ Information the young Slytherin will be needing in the future, that he couldn't find anywhere else.

Well, in the restricted section. It wasn't exactly detailed, though.

Tom sighed, thinking it safe to look at Berry again. He silently observed her, taking notes of things. There were dents on her bottom lip, from being chewed on. Looking at her overall personality, it couldn't be a nervous habbit, could it? He shook his head, thinking. Boredom? That sounded more likely.

Trailing his eyes down her body, he looked at her tie. Perfectly straight. Her shirt was neatly tucked into her skirt. And her skirt left more than enough to the imagination. As did the completely buttoned shirt. Her nails were short, and _also _in perfect condition. So…she liked things neat and impressive...

_A perfectionist._

Tom almost laughed into delight, _Oh, how I could use this against her._

If Tom was making observations, he might as well observe her House. _Ravenclaw._

She had to be smart, of course. And since Ravenclaw was a somewhat lesser version of Slytherin, she had to have _some _"evil" qualities. Taking her diva attitude into account, her confidence—she must have talent. Talent…She could use that. He could tell she was smart. Judging from interactions with Slughorn, she was a bit of a goodie goodie. That was probably more of the Slytherin side. Playing teachers well, to get what you wanted later. Out of a detention, out of homework. Oh, how easy it was if you were in the good books. She was very confident though. And normally, with confidence, normally comes a brave wardrobe. Meaning shorter skirts, and partially unbuttoned tops. From the way she dressed, she wasn't looking for romantic attention.

A tad curious, but Ravenclaws were never known for their bravery.

"You've been staring at me for ten minutes, Riddle." Rachel said, voice full of unsupressed amusement.

"I just don't understand." Tom said, picking a less embarrassing tactic than "I was sizing you up"

"Understand what?" she asked.

"How does it not bother you that you don't know your heritage?" said Tom frustratedly, earning a giggle from his American Diva.

"Because, it's not probably have it on record at your ministry," She added, glancing at him. "But it's not worth the trouble. Give it up, will you? It's time for me to sing!"

They had nearly reached the door when Tom rolled his eyes, "Yes, your Highness." She nudged him playfully. "Glad you finally got the point."

Tom actually found himself resisting the urge to smile.

Reminding himself that she could very well be a mudblood, he put a few feet of space between them as they entered Horraces classroom. Not that he had to worry, as soon as they were through the door Berry rushed up to Slughorns desk. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor! I've heard so much about you!"

Slughorns head snapped up, "Oh, Hello Ms. Berry, Tom!" Tom nodded in amusement as Slughorn was immediately occupied with Berry as soon as he stood up. "I'm Rachel Berry, but of course, you must have heard wonderful things about me." Slughorn looked slightly surprised, "Of course, Headmaster Dippet had nothing but great things, as did the Professors at Beaxbatons!"

Their conversation lulled on, of achievements of Berrys. Tom had zoned out, leaning against a nearby desk. No doubt she'd tell _him_ all about her achievements later.

Since Slughorns back was to Tom, and Berry was facing him, he took the time to study her again. She switched her weight from foot to foot more often than a normal person would. She couldn't stand still. Excitement? Nervous habbit?

No, she looked very confident…and sounded confident. Hmm. He noted that every time Slughorn would speak, the American Diva would chew her lip thoughtfully. But her eyes were unfocussed. So it_ was_ out of boredom that she bit her lip.

Tom was studying her so intently, that he hadn't noticed the pause in conversation. He shook his head slowly, coming back from his thoughtful gaze to find the two looking at him in expectance. "I'm sorry Professor, what did you say? I have such a headache right now."

Horraces face softened immediately, like he knew it would. "Rachel was about to give her performance, but you should go back to your dorm and lie down for a the rest of your free period."

Tom nodded his thanks, and couldn't help but notice the disappointment on Berrys features. He turned to face her completely, and her eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?" She asked tightly.

Bloody hell, the girl could see right through him! That was a first! Nobody had ever dared to challenge his excuses!

If he was surprised, he didn't show it.

He smiled slightly, looking her in the eye. "Yeah. See you later, Princess."

Tom Riddle was past being curious about the American Diva. He was intrigued. He was _fascinated._

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><p><strong>AN: This is a longer chapter, 1,575 words! Just to make up for not updating for a while. I'm sorry about that, by the way! Anyways, I really, really hope you like this chapter. I'll update again in HOPEFULLY, a week or less:3**

**Feedback would be great, but you don't have to. You can simply enjoy the story c;**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, my god. You guys, I am so sorry for the lack of update. Specifically, the update I promised like. A MONTH AGO. I've been a bit caught up in funerals, hospital visits, and baby shower plans. (Which, by the way, if I do say so myself, that baby shower went great.) But my sisters baby is due in like. A week. I HAVE AN EXCUSE, OKAY! D: That and I'm looking into schooling options. So..There's that..Well, condemn me if you must, eh? I'd also like to know around how many chapters you all would like this story to be. If not..I might just come up with a random number. That'd be something. Anyways, punch me in the face for not posting. And this long authors note. Whoops. But there's an interesting twist and a good song, for your troubles. I did special research for this story, and couldn't find a good song for the early forties..so this is from the later forties..but, it's difficult, damnnit! Whoops..I'm making the note longer. OKAY, TO THE DISCLAIMER..**

**I don't own Potter, or Glee. I do, however, own the smartass alias that came up with the plot, is Lizzy Teffer. ME!**

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><p>Rachel Berry was furious as she turned to face Professor Slughorn. Not only was Riddle skipping her performance, he had patronizingly called her <em>Princess. <em>If she had not been so angry, she'd have been astounded at the audacity of the young man!

Professor Slughorns' voice broke through Rachels angry thoughts. "Ms. Berry…?" Rachel smoothed out her skirt, taking in a calming breath. "Right sir, where were we?"

"I believe that you were about to give a performance." She nodded slightly, smiling. Well, giving a performance would lighten her mood. Riddle could get an earful later, though. "I don't have a piano, sir." Her Professor smiled, waving his wand at a group of desks. "Magic, my dear. It's simply wonderful." He said, gesturing to the desks—which, now was a piano. Rachel laughed lightly, "Right, okay." And now, she went into show mode.

"Okay, Professor. I chose this song for my first taste of this school. I absolutely adore this school so far, and everything about it is amazing! This song is originally jazz. But I've found that the pianos' touch lends the song a nice acoustic, emotional touch that the jazz version does not. So, without further ado…" Rachel sat down at the piano, hands to the keys. "_Come rain or come shine!_"

The pianos notes were soft as Rachel sang out the short song;

"_I'm gonna love you, like nobody's loved you,__  
><em>_Come rain or come shine.__  
><em>_High as a mountain, deep as a river,__  
><em>_Come rain or come shine.__  
><em>_I guess when you met me,__  
><em>_It was just one of those things.__  
><em>_But don't you ever bet me,__  
><em>_'Cause I'm gonna be true if you let me.__  
><em>_You're gonna love me, like nobody's loved me,__  
><em>_Come rain or come shine.__  
><em>_We'll be happy together, unhappy together,__  
><em>_Now won't that be just fine,__  
><em>_The days may be cloudy or sunny,__  
><em>_We're in or out of the money,__  
><em>_But I'm with you always,__  
><em>_I'm with you rain or shine._"

Rachel smiled as she sang the last line. She couldn't help it. She had pulled the explanation out of nowhere, but she really did love the song. When she looked up from the piano, Professor Slughorn was slack jawed and clapping. "You're _incredibly _talented, Ms. Berry!" She giggled happily, "Thank you, sir!" Maybe a performance _did_ brighten up her mood considerably. "Professor, may I ask the time?"

The Professor seemed to come out of his amazed trance and checked his watch, "Well, I know you have the day off. But I reckon that it's around one o'clock." Rachel gasped, gathering her stuff. "I'm sorry, Professor! I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore and Headmaster Dippet in about ten minutes!" Professor Slughorn laughed at the slightly eccentric girl, "I'll see you tomorrow in class, Ms. Berry!" he yelled, turning back to his desk. In all of Rachels haste, she ran out the door, giving him a wave.

…And ran straight into Tom Riddle.

"You?" She spat. Tom dusted himself off, "Yes, me." He said irritably. "Thought you had a headache?" She replied icily. "Thought you had a meeting," He countered. They stood sneering at eachother for a moment, before Rachel realized she had no idea how to get to Professor Dumbledores office to for the meeting.

As she stood sneering, she was deciding on her pride or her mission. It was very tempting to just walk off, and miss the meeting. But that wouldn't be good. She could get in _loads _of trouble for it. Rachel sighed angrily, having come to a decision. "Riddle. Do you know where I can find Headmaster Dumbledores' office?"

Momentarily confused, Riddle backed down. "What?" Rachel rolled her eyes, repeating herself. "Do. You. Know. Where—"

"I _know_ what you said, Berry. I was just a _bit _confused due to having been dealing with your _stupid_ Diva pride not ten seconds before." He snapped, voice dripping with unsuppressed irritation. Rachel put a hand on her hip, huffing out her _own _irritation in sigh. "And to repeat myself, do you know where Professor Dumbledores' office is?"

Tom was a bit more surprised than he'd be willing to admit. _Nobody_ treated him like this. _Ever._ "Down the hall, three staircases up. Take a right, and it's the fourth door on the left." With that, he turned in the opposite direction, stomping off.

What was worse was he didn't know who had won.

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><p>Tom Riddle was mad. Scratch that, he was <em>pissed.<em> Oh, so horribly pissed. Not only had she been a complete _cow_, she was one _hell_ of a singer. And he was _pissed _that he had been caught sitting outside of the door listening, like a bloody Peeping Tom! Of course, that was no pun intended. He seethed the entire way up to his dormitory. And why had he given her the _correct_ directions to Dumbledores? He could have sent her into…ARGH! He was so mad he couldn't even think of a place he could have sent her to that would have been horrible! Of course, seething wouldn't get him anywhere. Revenge might. So, like the good little Slytherin Tom was, he of course started planning.

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><p>Rachel sighed as she walked into Professor Dumbledores office. Tom had sent her to the right place, thank Gods. "Hello, Professor. Hello, Headmaster." She smiled brightly, despite her earlier annoyance. "Ms. Berry, glad you could make it." Headmaster Dippet said. She joined him at Professor Dumbledores desk. "Good to see you, Ms. Berry," he said from behind his desk. "Please, have a seat."<p>

The two adults shared an unreadable look before turning their scrutinizing eyes to Rachel. "How is your relationship with Riddle so far?" Headmaster Dippet asked. "Right to the point, Armando." Rachel muttered, before standing up and pacing in front of Dumbledores desk. "Horrible. The kid is just absolutely _horrible._ I mean, I know he's a Slytherin, but, Merlin!"

Dumbledores eyes sparkled with amusement. "I see. Friendship _is _a necessity for this mission, Rachel."

Rachel grumbled something about "assholes" before coming to a stop in her pacing. "He wanted to know if I'm pureblood. He was absolutely furious about it when I said I'd had no clue of my heritage! I couldn't help but laugh. Which…was probably a bad idea, wasn't it?" Both men looked at her, holding back their smiles. "Maybe a bad move." Dumbledore finally said. Rachel nodded thoughtfully.

"Sirs, what is my back story again?"

"Well, Miss Rachel, you came from Beaxbatons due to…" Armando looked to Dumbledore for assistance. "Er. Due to your fathers' expanding business?" Dumbledore offered. Rachel looked at the two men. "Alright, I can work with that…Is that all for today, boys?" They shared yet another unreadable look, which almost irritated Rachel.

On her way out, she paused at the doorframe. "Oh, and I told him he _might_ just find my heritage at your Ministry records. Think he'll try to access them?"

Dumbledore looked at Rachel closely. "No, I don't believe so. You're dismissed for now…Enjoy the rest of your day, Auror Berry. See you in class tomorrow."

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><p><strong>Gah. Okay, how's that looking so far? It's not much of a twist, I know.. But Toms revenge..well. You'll see. Also, I'm thinking of bringing some events in. Such as, a few other New Direction people. And a certain event that happened during our little Tom Riddles fifth year at Hogwarts. If you can guess it, well…it's a bit obvious. I'm writing the fourth chapter as we speak..so I'll put it up when I'm done..as an apology effort! I'm working on it guys, I'm working on it! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. And I hope you don't mind my habit of horribly long author notes.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**O-kay, witches and wizards! Merlins and Morganas! Beasts and..Bitches? Here is the next chapter, because I, my friends, am a genius. I'm pretty sure that I do want to bring other New Directions in. That being said, I want to know which ones you'd like to see. If not, I'll probably pull names out of a hat.. anyways. I'm not sure what house Dippet is in. I think Hufflepuff. He just gives off that vibe. I'm going to try and make this a longer chapter. Cause I owe it to you. But I'll be alternating points of views between Riddle and Berry. So, don't hate me. I'll be introducing some well known Potter characters in this chapter. Oho, And..don't forget revenge. Which you'll know nothing about for a while. Or will you? DUHNUHNUHNUH. Onto the disclaimer!**

**I don't own Glee or Harry Potter. Yet again, this smart ass alias is the only thing **_**this**_** self proclaimed author owns.**

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><p>After a while of planning revenge, Tom realized a few things. One, he didn't know Rachel Berry. Two, going back to number one, he couldn't plan revenge <em>because<em> of it. Three? That made him more furious. And four. The dreaded number four:

He has to get to know Berry to get revenge.

He wanted to strike near to her. And he wanted to strike _hard_. Tom resumed pacing in front of his desk, seething like never before. Naming off the things he knew about her? She was Ravenclaw. Good voice. Seemingly intelligent (or obviously not, seeing as she had the _nerve_ to treat him like she did.), and…well. He didn't know.

Which only angered him more. Tom was known to be a smart, articulate young man. And that…_woman_…had reduced him to _this! _

Which brought him back to the thought of revenge. Did she have any friends? She had to. The girl practically screamed friendly. When she wasn't screaming in Toms face, that is. He flopped back onto his bed with an angry sigh, landing on a book. "Good God, anything _else_ to make this day worse than it is?" Tom asked the empty air. He reached behind him, pulling the sharp corner where it was practically lodged near his spine. Looking at the cover, his entire body froze. _The Secrets and Sincerities of Salazar Slytherin_

Tom flipped to the dog-eared section of the well worn book that he had stolen from the restricted section. _The Chamber of Secrets; Magical Myth still unproven. _Realization hit him, and hit him hard. Maybe, just _maybe _he could use the Chamber of Secrets against her. If he found it in time. And opened it. Just like that, his anger was gone, and he was back into the swing of revenge.

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><p>Rachel was happy as she left Dumbledores office. Despite the gloom of having to get to know Riddle, it was quite a simple mission, so far. Besides she got to use her imagination. Such as thinking up imaginative ideas on her back story. But currently she had to go to the library to do some research. <em>Well…<em>jotting down a few ideas on the way there couldn't hurt, would it?

With a nod to herself, Rachel decided it couldn't hurt, and reached into her messenger bag for a scroll and quill. Not looking where she was going, she bumped into a man taller than her, completely knocking her down. "I'm sorry, Miz'!" said the boy. He reached a huge hand down to help her up, which she took uncertainly. "Hey! Yer th' new girl!"

He hoisted Rachel to her feet, probably narrowly avoiding putting her through the ceiling. "Yeah, I am. I'm Rachel Berry. Ravenclaw." The boy smiled brightly, "I'm Rubeus, Rubeus Hagrid. I'm from Gryffindor m'self."

The boy seemed awfully friendly, and Rachel liked him right away. "So, Hagrid. I'm presuming you know you're way around Hogwarts, do you know the quickest way to the library?" Hagrids smile only got impossibly wider, "Yea! I was headin' there m'self!" Rachel grinned, "I wouldn't mind the company, so long as you don't mind the company of a lowly fifth year."

Hagrid laughed, "Actually, Miss, 'm only a third year."

Her mouth fell open, "Are you on stilts?" Hagrid only laughed harder, lifting his robes a bit. "Sorry t' say, 'm not!" For a moment, Rachel considered asking him if all Gryffindor always yelled like he did. But the last question she asked seemed a bit rude, even though he had laughed.

"To the library then, Hagrid?" She smiled. "O' course, Miz' Berry!" Rachel was surprised at having made a friend. Even in America, she hadn't been well liked. Or at Beaxbatons, for that matter. Maybe it was just Hagrid being a Gryffindor. Either way, she was grateful. She had a way to the library, and a friend to talk to. "So, Rubeus…if you don't mind my asking…why are you so _tall_?"

"Well, maybe yer jus' short?" he countered. "True, true." Rachel laughed, "So what are you going to the library for?" Hagrid paused a moment. "Well, jus' some res'erch. About some magical creatures o' th' Forrest."

"Assignment?"

"Yea', ya could say that…" A moment of silence enveloped the two, and Rachel didn't like the way it felt. "So," Hagrid began. "What're you goin' to th' library fer?"

"Anything and everything about the founding fathers…and mothers, of course," Rachel added. "…of Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore thought it'd be a great idea, said it'd be useful information. Though I have yet to figure out what he means by it." She said thoughtfully.

Hagrid thumped her on the back, nearly sending her sprawling to the ground. "I can help ya' with that, Rachel!" He said enthusiastically. Rachel smiled gratefully, "I'm glad for the help, Rubeus." And with that, the two entered the library, setting their things down at a table to the far left. "Where do we start? This is such a _huge _place!" Hagrid smiled, "Don't worry. Yeh get used t' it. And things get easier t' find." He added as an afterthought.

"Really. Easier to find?" Rachel deadpanned. "This place has to have a billion books."

"Or more." Rachel gaped at him, and he laughed. "Where's the best place to find the information I need, Rubeus?" she asked, getting out her quill and parchment. "Well, I reck'n yeh'd find a good lot in th' Restricted Section, but yeh can't go back there without a pass." Hagrid said nervously. Rachel smiled reassuringly, "I don't even know where to _find _the Restricted Section, Hagrid." She lied through her teeth, really. But Rubeus was a good man, he didn't have to know that.

Hagrid returned her smile, nodding his head to one of the bookcases to their left. "Come on, th' books 'bout Founders are this way."

* * *

><p>Tom scowled at the sight before him. The mutt Hagrid and the Diva had just walked into the library together. Does she just make friends with <em>anyone?<em> Wait. He took another look at the two, who had set their bags down at a table to Toms left.

There sure_ looked_ like friends.

… _Friends!_

And so the plan for revenge could very well start now, Tom thought as he smiled in amusement. Well, amusement didn't last long. Because the two _friends_ were now heading towards his shelf. Making a quick decision, he grabbed the book from the shelf in front of him, shoved it in his robes and left before the two oafs could see him. _The Secrets and Sincerities of Salazar Slytherin; Updated and Unabridged _glinted in the candlelight of the library as his robes shifted.

* * *

><p>Rachel and Hagrid returned to their table a little over a half hour later, both of their arms full of books. "Good Gods," said Rachel, "I didn't know there was nearly a whole <em>wing<em> of the library committed to the Founders of Hogwarts." Hagrid laughed mirthfully, "That's not even a wing, Rachel!"

Rachel groaned, "How in the world do you find things for homework here?"

"Gets easier after a while," Hagrid said, with a reassuring pat—or punch, as it felt like one—on the back. Rachel surveyed the pile of books in front of her ruefully. She knew none of this information would get her anywhere. And she needed to get to the restricted section, except sans Hagrid.

"Oh, no!" she said, pretending to frantically search the pile of books. "I forgot one on the founder of Hufflepuff that I really wanted! I'll be right back, Hagrid!" Rachel made her way to the first row of shelfs before she turned around, "If I'm not back in twenty minutes, I've probably been eaten by a book." Hagrid laughed, "Don't worry, if yeh get lost, I'll find yeh." And with that, Rachel was off towards the back section of the library, which housed the infamous Restricted Section.

"Okay," said Rachel to herself. "What I need is _something _on Salazar Slytherin," She reached the Restriction Section in seven minutes, having thirteen left. Or thirty, if she _really_ wanted to push it. But that'd make Hagrid suspicious, and if he found her in the Restricted Section she'd have a lot of explaining to do that she couldn't quite afford right now.

That being said, she began searching the shelfs. "A-D…E-G…Need to go further, damn."

"You know, it's very unladylike for a girl to curse." Came a voice to Rachels right. It was high pitched, and whiny. "Is it?" Rachel asked, turning to the source of the voice. "Oh. You're the new girl. Did the others send you to make fun of me?" Rachel didn't see anything at first, and then she looked down. There sat a scrawny girl in Ravenclaw robes. She was kind of pale, and her acne covered face was tear stained.

"No, and why would I make fun of you?" Rachel asked incredulously. "All the others do." Said the girl. "I'm Rachel, Rachel Berry." Rachel stuck her hand out to help the girl off the ground. "Myrtle." The girl said stiffly.

"What are you doing back here in the Restricted Section, Myrtle?" Rachel asked her softly. "Hiding from the others. Nobody ever really comes back here." Myrtle said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And why are you back here?"

"_I_ have a pass." Said Rachel. "Oh." Myrtle said softly. "Yeah. Why don't you come back to my table in the library with me? I'm studying with a friend. I'm sure he won't mind if I escort you back to Ravenclaw tower, yeah?"

"Why are you being nice to me?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Did you listen to me at all earlier? _Nobody_ is nice to me."

"Time for a change, eh?" Rachel said, smiling. "Now come on, let's get you back to Ravenclaw tower." Rachel wasn't angry at not having got her books. She could look for them later. She knew what if felt like to be made fun of, and it wasn't a nice feeling. She'd been teased on her last mission at Beaxbatons, and in her home school in America. Wasn't a fun experience, and she was glad she got offered the Undercover Auror position sooner than later.

And being the Auror she was, Rachel really didn't like seeing people in distress. It just wasn't in her nature. Myrtle attempted to make small talk, "So…they say you're from Beauxbatons. You don't sound French." Rachel smiled, "Yeah, I am. Er, not French. I'm American. I transferred to Beauxbatons from the Salem Witch Institute in America."

"What was it like at Beauxbatons?" asked Myrtle, her voice full of curiosity. Rachel was surprised. Everyone else had always asked, "Why so far from home?" That being said, Rachel was more than happy to answer. "It was beautiful, besides the rude people. Hogwarts is a nice change." She said with a small smile. "Was it anything like Hogwarts?" Myrtle asked. "Well, in a few ways. We had houses, but not like Hogwarts does. We had three houses, and we had a beautiful head wreath made from tiny blue flowers that sorted us instead of a sorting hat." Myrtle looked to her, "Really? Would you mind explaining?" Rachel smiled, "Sure! See, when you put it on the persons head, it'd sing. If the song sounded beautiful and high pitched, you belonged in Papillonlisse. If the song sounded dark and scary, you belonged in Ombrelune. And for the last house, Bellefeuille, the song would sound steady, and have simple, long notes."

"Wow," Myrtle breathed. "You speak so fondly of it for people who were so mean to you." She noted.

"But the school was brilliant. They loved the arts, and nature, and anything that held beauty. Which, mind you, was a lot of things to them," Rachel giggled. "Hey, look! There's my table. Do you want to come with me to get my things or meet me by the door?"

Myrtle eyed Hagrid with fear in her eyes. "No, I'll wait by the door…" With that, Rachel set off towards the table. "Hey, Hagrid," She said when she reached it, scooping her books uncaringly into her bag. "I found a fellow Ravenclaw in the great big maze of books. She's in a state…so I'm going to take her back to Ravenclaw tower. I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked. Hagrid nodded, too wrapped up in his homework. "Goodluck!" She called quietly over her shoulder, meeting up with Myrtle at the door. "Ready?"

The pale girl nodded, and off they went. "Why do people make fun of you, Myrtle?" Rachel asked as they went up a set of stairs. "Many reasons." Was all she said. Rachel left it at that for now.

* * *

><p>Tom watched as the two girls came around the corner, heading up a staircase he was about to go down. He scoffed, barely holding himself from hissing "Mudblood" as Myrtle passed. He despised her, really. She was whiny, she was annoying, and most of all, she was a <em>mudblood.<em> Tom was surprised that the two girls didn't see him, but they were seemingly wrapped up in a conversation. Good.

With that, the boy made his way to the womens bathroom on the second floor. The book he rescued from the library was important. They were just about to switch it to the Restricted Section. Why? Because Tom was pretty sure it held the words to open The Chamber of Secrets.

He had skimmed through it in is dorm, and it had looked promising. If he could only find the passage with the correct words.

Tom Riddle stepped into the bathroom, smiling. "Hello?" No answer. Good. He turned around, casting a locking charm on the door. He opened the book, hoping to find the passage. After a moment, Tom started to realize something.

It wasn't the right book.

Sadly, Tom wasn't paying attention when he left his dormitory…and hadn't grabbed the unabridged version. "Salazar strike me where I stand. How did I grab the wrong _fucking_ book?" He screamed to the room.

* * *

><p>Upstairs in Ravenclaw Tower, Myrtle and Rachel were getting ready for dinner. "You'll sit with me, right Myrtle?" Rachel asked the girl. Myrtle looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "You want to sit with <em>me?<em>" Rachel only smiled, "Of course! I'm new, and you're not that bad Myrtle."

And for the first time since Rachel knew the girl—even if it'd only been an hour—she looked genuinely happy. Apparently, it was a surprise for the rest of the people in the common room, for they looked over in shock. "Really?" Myrtle asked, just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "Yeah, of course!" Rachel said standing up and strectching.

"Come on, Myrtle. I'm starved, and dinner starts soon!" Rachel started heading towards the door exit, leaving a dumbfounded Myrtle sitting on one of the huge couches she had just vacated. "Well, come on!"

Myrtle jumped up immediately, joining Rachel. "For some reason, I think I've going bonkers." She said as she caught up to the slightly taller girl.

"Or dying from starvation. Like me." Rachel put a hand to her forehead dramatically, and Myrtle laughed. Many people looked to her in alarm, and Rachel got the feeling that Myrtle never showed any emotion but sadness or anger. That made Rachel smile.

They continued easy conversation, ignoring the people who turned and stared at them. Rachel wondered if it was because she was the new girl, or Myrtle was happy. The two girls were too caught up in their conversation to notice the angry boy barreling down the second floor corridor towards the stairs. And the boy was too angry to notice _them_. So Tom Riddle ran straight into Myrtle, nearly knocking the tiny girl down.

Almost, because of Rachels Auror reflexes. Rachel had reached out and caught a hold of her arm, steadying the girl. "Myrtle! Are you alright?" Myrtle opened her mouth to answer and was cut off by the boy. "Watch where you're going, mudblood!" He spat, wiping invisible dust off of him. Rachel felt the urge to push the pale girl behind her at the malice in the boys tone.

That was, until she looked up. "Oh. Riddle."

The boy looked up in alarm, "Berry. Didn't expect to see you here."

"We were taking a short cut off the second floor corridor to the Great Hall. Why were you here?"

"If I wanted you to know, I'd have told you, Berry."

"Do me a favor and watch where you're going next time, Riddle." Rachel said, dragging Myrtle down the hallway.

If Tom was pissed before, this was nothing compared to now. "Keep your mudblood friend out of my way next time, Berry." He called.

"I see the headache made you cranky, Riddle." She said as the two got further down the corridor.

"Or it was your horrible performance, Princess." Rachel froze. "Myrtle, go ahead and go to dinner. I'll catch up with you." Myrtles eyes were dancing between the two, wide and scared. "I'll be okay," she said reassuringly. "Well, Rachel…nobody talks to Tom Riddle like that and gets away with it." Myrtle said nervously. Rachel laughed. "Trust me, I can handle it."

Myrtle shrugged, not taking any time in getting to the Great Hall. Rachel waited until she was gone to turn around. And when she did, she was pure fury. She marched right up to Riddle, "Maybe that door muffled what you heard, Peeping Tom." She said.

Tom raised an eyebrow, "Really, Princess?" That was it. Wrong move.

Before Tom could say anything else, Rachel had drawn her wand. "Levicorpus!" As soon as he was dangling at eye height, Rachel put her hand over his mouth. "Now you listen to me. You will _not_ patronize me, Riddle!"

Ever the cocky Slytherin, he cocked an eyebrow. A muffled "Oh?" came through Rachels hand.

"Yeah, 'oh'. Next time I will punch you so hard in the face that Salazar himself will need to go to the dentist. Do I make myself clear?"

Rachel felt Tom smiling and she rolled her eyes. And did what any respectable girl would do. She walked away. When she reached the end of the hallway, she stopped. Without turning around, Rachel said, "And Riddle? My singing is nothing short of phenomenal. You'll do good to remember that." With that, Rachel released her spell, laughing as she heard a muffled "Ow!" as Riddle fell straight on his head

* * *

><p><strong>What do you all think? Should I make all of my chapters this long? And am I the only one who likes feisty Rachel? Oh, and who else likes the MyrtleRachel friendship? I totally ship it. But…we all know what happens to Myrtle, right? ;D And I got my Beauxbaton Houses from a Beauxbaton website. The wreath was my imagination. And..yeah. Okay. Writing Hagrids parts gave the Grammar Natzi in me a headache..So I'm sorry if it's not completely Hagrid like..So, anyways. Reviews aren't needed, but I'd just like some feedback. Sorry it took so long to get this up. I was playing on Pottermore…(No lie, it's too fun to be away from it for longer than an hour.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, my sister had a baby about a week ago. His name's Leo. He's adorable. But anyways, since my sister and her boyfriend live here, I've been helping out with the baby and all, like a good little sister. So, that's part of my lack of updating. My other reason is I got into a huge fight with one of my friends who had been helping me a long with this story. Yeah, not fun. So I'm terribly sorry about the lack of update. One fourth of my muse left me. So, anyways. I_ will_ be adding some New Directions kids. You'll learn more about that later. And, if you guys have anything from Tom Riddles past you'd like to see incorporated in this story, just let me know. I'll see if I can find a way to fit it in. And to add on to the personal aspect of this note, my Tumblr/Facebook are on my profile now. Exciting, eh? Either way, you can bother me to update on there if you'd like.**

* * *

><p>Was Tom angry? Hell yes. Was Tom definitely getting revenge on Berry? Of course. Was Tom amused? Beyond reason. Maybe he had fallen a little too hard on his head—or neck, which the Diva nearly <em>broke<em>—but found the confrontation amusing. She was kind of attractive when she was being feisty.

Wait.

Attractive?

Tom shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he made the walk to his dormitory to retrieve the other book. No, he'd just fallen too hard. And if _that_ wasn't the case, then he was just attracted to her power. Or the mystery. Or it could be his sheer fascination with her in the first place.

"Oh, shut up! Who's side are you on, anyway?" Tom scolded himself out loud, causing the other students heading to dinner glance at him in alarm. "And what do you think _you _lot are staring at?" He snapped, scowling. As the boy had expected, they backed off. Good. Tom marched into the entrance to Slytherin and felt the coolness of the dungeons seep through his robes and smiled. _Ahh, home._ Racing to his bed, grabbed the unabridged version of _Salazar Slytherin_, stopping to check if the bookmark was in the book before he left.

* * *

><p>Down at Ravenclaw, Rachel had returned with a smile on her face and one Riddle less. Taking her seat next to an awed looking Myrtle, she giggled. "That was more fun than I expected it'd be!" Myrtles mouth fell open. "No!" she gasped. Rachel looked thoughtful for a moment, then looked at Myrtle and sighed dramatically. "Yes!" They burst into fits of laughter. "He had it coming to him, though." Rachel said, when the giggles subsided. "He's such a...a..."<p>

"A jerk?" an all too cheery voice supplied. Myrtles head went down immediately, whereas Rachels head snapped up. "You are?" she asked, not unkindly. "Olive. Olive Hornby. These are my friends, Alice, Betty, and Jan." Olive stuck her hand out, and the others nodded to her. Rachel smiled, "I'm-"

"Rachel Berry." the girl interrupted. "I know. You came into my History of Magic class with Headmaster Dippet. Your accent is strange. It's American. But you came from a french school?" Hornby was talking to her as if she was a child, telling her things she already knew. Rachel didn't appreciate it. She heard Myrtle mumble something unintelligible that sounded kind of rude. Rachels eyebrow nearly disappeared into her hairline. Myrtle wasn't really a mean person. Cold, yes. But never quite mean.

"I'm American? I'd never have guessed!" said Rachel in a French accent. She'd picked it up (along with a lot of French) at Beauxbatons. That tends to happen in a French school. Rachel heard Myrtle giggle, and smiled slightly when Hornbys face flushed slightly. "Well, no need to be sardonic." she huffed out. The girls behind Olive scowled. Rachel shrugged, "My bad. I've only been at this school since this morning, but I've never seen a Ravenclaw act so dumb."

Hornbys eyes widened, and she started sputtering. "Excuse me?"

Rachel kept her face schooled in an innocent impression. Beside her, Myrtle was shaking with silent laughter. "If you'll excuse me, I need to...I left something in the library!" Myrtle said, covering her mouth as she nearly laughed out loud. She picked up her things, running to the door. She made it around the first corner before she collapsed in a fit of giggles.

Back at the table, Olive Hornby looked at Rachel coldly. "I don't know why you're friends with a girl like that."

Rachel, ever the actor, raised an eyebrow at her and looked confused. "Like what?"

"Don't play dumb. You know what. She's unpopular. She's not pretty. Unlike me...I'm popular and pretty. You wouldn't want to get in with the wrong sort, would you?"

Rachel laughed, shaking her head. "Listen here, Hornby. I'm not dumb. I don't play it either, I'll leave that to you." She opened her mouth to interrupt, and Rachel held her hand up. She studied her closely before going on. "I don't care if she's unpopular. She's my friend. She's one in a million. Can you say the same?" asked Rachel, gesturing to her friends. "You're a carbon copy. You're nothing special, _ma chérie."_

Olive looked confused for a moment before one of the girls behind her whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened in realization, and she scowled. "Whatever, Berry. You'll regret it." and with that, Olive Hornby stormed off, the three girls in tow.

Albus Dumbledore leaned slightly to his left, eyes sparkling. "I bet you five galleons she'll get a detention for a fight with that girl before the week is out." he said to Armando Dippet. The Headmaster laughed, "I'll bet you she doesn't get caught."

"You're on, Armando."

* * *

><p>Tom threw the book against the wall of the second floor bathroom. He was in a full on temper tantrum. "What do you mean the bloody word is open? <em>HONESTLY!" <em>Tom demanded, kicking the book for good measure. _"_Really, Salazar? Open? The Great Salazar Slytherin couldn't come up with any great phrase but _OPEN?"_

Tom Riddle pinched the bridge of his nose, "Okay. Calm down. You're going to enter the Chamber of Secrets in a moment. It's what you wanted." Tom took a deep breath, and couldn't help but think; _Open? Really?_

With that, he turned to the tap, hissing out "_Open_." in Parsletongue. Tom smiled triumphantly when he heard and saw the grinding sound of a secret corridor opening. "No Chamber my ass." he said, giving one last kick to the book before he marched into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Myrtle was walking down the corridor when she heard a voice yelling after her. "Oi! You! Four eyes!"<p>

She sighed and turned around. "Yes, Olive?"

"Why are you friends with Berry? She could do so much better than be friends with you." Olive said once her and her minions had caught up.

"Jealous because she rejected your request, Hornby?" The blonde girl in front of her scowled fiercely.

"You know what? She deserves to be friends with filth like you. Why don't you use your glasses to help her find her way home? I'm pretty sure you can see all the way to America with those dirty things." Olive scowled at her one more time before shoving her against the wall and continuing on her way.

Myrtle waited until the four girls were gone a total of three minutes before letting a tear out. Why was she such a bitch? Really. Are people just born like that? And where was Myrtles hero when she needed her? Well, Myrtle decided. She could handle this on her own. Just because Rachel had been nice to her for a while doesn't mean she had to rely on her constantly.

Myrtle made her way into the closest bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She really did look horrible. And everybody just _had _to insult her glasses. Myrtle made her way into a stall, taking her glasses off angrily. Wasn't their just a spell to fix her vision? She squeaked out a sob, shoving her glasses in her pocket.

That's when she heard the her stall door open. "Go away!" moaned Myrtle miserably.

"Now, now, Myrtle." Tom Riddle said. Tom smiled, he had put a silencing charm on the Chamber before he opened it to leave. He was glad for it now. _"You know what to do. When your job is done, go back into the Chamber. I shall see you again soon." _Tom said to the basilisk in Parsletongue, stroking it lovingly.

Myrtle had gone still at the hissing. "Who is that?" He didn't even glance back as he put the dillusionment charm on himself. It wouldn't do good for people to see him leaving the restroom. "Just turn around, Myrtle." Tom marched out the door before the girl could ask anything else.

He didn't even wait to see his first victims face as she fell dead to the floor.

* * *

><p>Rachel had thought it weird when Myrtle hadn't returned to the tower. She had found it weird when Myrtle wasn't in her dorm at midnight. She was on her way to the Headmasters office when she saw the commotion.<p>

It was a bunch of students gathered outside the bathroom on the second floor.

"Hey...what's going on?" Rachel asked the boy closest to her. He didn't even glance at her. "They say someones been killed!" He whispered excitedly. Rachels eyes widened. "Did they say who?" He shook his head. Rachel pushed her way through the crowd. "Albus!..Erm, Professor Dumbledore!" Making no headway, she growled and started shoving harder. "Move, please. Move...Move...Move..There! Professor!" Albus looked for the sound of the voice, looking relieved when he laid eyes on her.

"Okay, Ladies and Gentleman. I think we've had enough excitement for one night. Back to your dorms, all of you."

Rachel stayed put, waiting for the crowd to disperse before she made her way to the Headmaster and Professor. "Armando...Albus...What is going on here?" She said carefully.

"Someone's been murdered, Rachel." The Headmaster said.

"I've gathered this. Why wasn't I involved sooner?" Both of the men seemed to look at eachother sheepishly. Rachel stormed on. "And may I ask who the victim was?" The two men seemed to share a look before answering. "Why don't you see for yourself, Auror Berry?" Rachel raised her wand, hoping to quell the nerves that seemed to have balled up in her stomach. She went through the standard list of wards and spells, adding one she learned at Beauxbatons as an afterthought. The Professors looked at her oddly. "I'm an Auror, boys. It's my job." She said, before slipping into the bathroom.

Albus and Armando followed closely behind. "The magical signature is pretty much gone. I can see that it's there, but I can't see from whom it was. Who found the victim?" She asked.

Armando cleared his throat before answering. "...Olive Hornby." The only sign Rachel had heard was the clenching of her fists. Rachel continued on her mental list, "No killing spells used." She stopped in the middle of the room before turning back to the door. "One spell used. Dillusionment charm. There was another, but it's signature _also _is too gone to tell." She gave a pointed look at the boys.

"Now...for the..." Rachel made her way to the stall before stopping short. "...body."

Yes, Rachel had gone through a lot of training. Yes, she had seen members of her team fall before. But that was rarely. But nothing prepared her for what she saw. Myrtle, laying petrified on the floor at her feet, somehow her tears had been petrified with her. "Myrtle..." The boys made to step forward but Rachel seemed to shake it off. She's been trained for this. She can do it. Rachel started music in her head, trying to pay as little attention to what she was doing as possible while doing the best job possible.

She conjured a quill and parchment. "Albus, fill out the information you know and then write what I tell you." she ordered. After she heard the scribbles stop she said, "What do you have down?"

"Her name, birth date and wand type."

Rachel looked up questioningly. "You know her wand type?"

"We took it off her person when the body was found."

Rachel nodded, "Right. Okay. Body height, 157.4 centimeters. Weight, 48.6 kilograms. Blood status, Muggleborn. House is Ravenclaw. Hair colour, Black. Glasses. Age fourteen. Time of death is unknown for now. Cause of death..." Rachel took a breath. "Cause of death, Victim seems to have been petrified. Further work will be done at a more convenient time. Now give it to me, please." Albus handed her the parchment and she tapped her wand to the quill and started speaking. "Victim was discovered by an Olive Hornby. Suspects include her, and her three friends. Alice, Betty and Jan. Last names unknown. Houses are Ravenclaw. Note: Since I'm on the job, I cannot interrogate suspects. An extra Auror for the job would be nice, Conner. And none of the emergency list." The two Professors were looking at her oddly again, so she said, "I need a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Conner. In Headmaster Dippets office. Send an owl with the time. And if I come back to find you were in my office, I will hex you to Azkaban and back."

The quill scribbled out the last bit, and Rachel folded the parchment. "I'll take this to the owlery. You both can leave if you want. The Aurors coming tomorrow will take care of Myrtle." She heard the door open and close, and she sighed. Rachel turned to the petrified girl on the floor, stroking her hair. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you, Myrtle." She said.

* * *

><p>Rachel was on alert as she made her way to the owlery. There <em>was<em> a murderer in Hogwarts, after all. But since she was on such alert, she felt Riddles presence before she saw him. She paused on the stairwell. "Yes, Riddle?"

Tom smiled a moment before coming out of the shadows. "Hello." Rachel hadn't stopped walking. "Something the matter?" he asked.

"No. The first friend I've made in a long time was killed though. That might have something to do with it." Tom blanched at the ice in her voice. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Rachel spun around so fast he nearly ran into her. "Don't you dare pretend that you care, Riddle. Don't you even _dare_." Right then, her magic seemed to have slipped a little and the sheer force of magic in her anger pushed him away. Tom was trying really hard not to be impressed. Rachel straightened up. "I-I'm going to deliver this letter now. Goodnight, Riddle." Rachel didn't wait for his response before taking the stairs two at a time. "Wait, Rachel." Riddle called. He was quiet, but she seemed to have still heard him. She stopped. She didn't say anything, but she stopped and that was enough. "I'll see you in class tomorrow." Rachel didn't answer, just continued up the stairs.

Tom got the feeling he wouldn't be seeing her in class the next day.

After Rachel sent the owl of with her letter, she sat on the windowsill._ I can't believe I did that to Riddle_, she thought. Yeah, she couldn't believe it. _Didn't mean she was going to apologize for it._ He had no right to pretend like he cared now. He had made it _quite_ clear what type of person he was when she had confronted him when he had pushed Myrtle._ Myrtle.._.Rachel sighed. If she had investigated where Myrtle had went, she'd probably be alive. If she had just listened to her_ fucking_ instincts, she'd probably have her friend now. Yeah, okay. _"Weird_" wasn't a bad feeling, sure. But it did feel off. And being an Auror should have taught her to _look into it. _She couldn't believe her own stupidity. Rachel remembered when someone on her team hadn't been able to save someone. He'd gotten mad, too. What had Finn done when he was mad?

Oh. Right.

Rachel looked at the wooden bench, transfiguring it into a chair. She took one look at it, kicked it over and stormed out of the owlery.

* * *

><p>After a night with no sleep, the next day found Rachel sitting in the Headmasters office with Albus. "Don't you have any coffee in here?" Rachel asked. Albus raised an eyebrow. "Did you check the table?"<p>

Rachel flushed slightly. "It's the morning, give me a rest." Albus only smiled slightly at her. Sighing, Rachel went to the table that seemed to have a mixture of sweets on it, along with a few beverages. "Like Armando needs this crap." Rachel muttered. She picked up a mug of coffee and took her place next to the Professor again. "How much longer?" she asked.

"Armando should be here in a few moments. How about you?" Rachel snorted. "Conner's never on time. We'll be lucky if he's here by tomorrow." Rachel took a long drink of her coffee, reveling in the warmth. The no sleep thing wasn't really working for her. She needed a full nights sleep to rest her vocal cords. What if she had to give an impromptu performance? She'd be screwed. Speaking of performances, she really hoped that Conner had his shit together. And that he had brought a good Auror for interrogation...Oh gods...What had she been thinking, leaving him in charge?

Just then, the Headmasters door opened and in came Armando and Conner. "Conner!" Rachel breathed in relief. "Berry!" He smiled, "Long time."

Rachel sighed, "It's only been a week. I'm sure the team hasn't been _that_ bad." Conner raised an eyebrow at her. "Sid, come on. The team _is _well behaved."

"Yeah, Rachel, when _you're_ there with your high pitched squeal to whip them into obedience." came a voice from the doorway. Rachel turned around, "Puckerman! Didn't expect to see you."

Noah Puckerman pushed off the door frame to stand in front of her. "Who else is good at interrogating, Princess?"

"Hey, I'm your Captain. I'm not _Princess._" said Rachel, punching him in the arm. "Sid said you needed me." Noah supplied.

Albus stepped behind Noah, an amused look on his face. "Hate to interrupt the reunion, kids, but we have a meeting to get to." Rachel nodded, smiling. "Right." They all sat down, and Sid Conner cleared his throat. "Okay, Rachel. Aurors are down in the second floor restroom, taking care of the b-victim." He corrected, seeing the dark looks on the Professors faces. "But mostly, we need Puck over here to interrogate Miss...Hornby? Yes...Hornby." Conner flipped through the parchments, handing one to Noah. "Puck, go get her. Armando, any place we can use for interrogation?"

"My office." Albus offered. "She should be in Defense Against The Dark Arts. Sixth floor, fourth classroom on the right." Noah nodded and took off. "Next issue of business," Sid Conner continued, pulling more parchment and a small pouch out of his charmed bag. "Rach, I know you're Head Auror, and all of that. But you were originally here to watch after a Tom Riddle, who is being seen as a threat to the Ministry. You were _not _here to deal with a murderer."Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, I realize this, Conner. Get to the point, please?"

"Well, I have a few. The first point is, could Riddle be a suspect?"

Remembering everything about last night in horrifyingly sharp detail, Rachel nodded. "Yeah. Before dinner Myrtle and I were walking down the corridor and were too busy in our conversation to notice Riddle walking our way. He ran into her. So I..." Rachel blushed a little. "I...yelled...at him." Conner smiled, "I know that tone." Rachel glared at him. "Right, sorry. Yelled." He snickered. Rachel threw her empty mug at him. Not even looking up, he caught it and set it down. Rachel stuck her tongue out at him.

Armando cleared his throat. "Okay, next order of business..."

"Wait," Rachel said. "If he is dangerous, don't interrogate him yet. We don't want him to know we suspect him. And besides, he's mine." Rachel said, a glint in her eye. Uh oh. Sid knew that glint. That was the "Rachel Berrys Next Victim" glint.

"Is your team always like this, Rachel?" Albus asked, amused. Rachel laughed, "Oh, always. I wouldn't trade them for the world, though." Albus smiled. He liked that her team could cheer her up. "Anyways, you were saying, Mister Conner?" said Albus.

"Right...Rachel...You aren't going to like this. But because of the threat, we think it'd be best if you...If you...ifyouhadafewpartnerstohelpyou!" Rachel quirked an eyebrow. "Come again, Sid?"

Sid cleared his throat nervously. "I...I-The Team-Think..you should have a..um...or two...partners." he finished lamely. Rachel stood up, "No. No, no, no, no, no!"

"But Rachel-"

"No, Conner. I am still your Captain and I said _no."_

"We also think you should have a partner or two, Auror Rachel..." came Albus's voice from beside her.

"It was one murder. One."

Conner narrowed his eyes. "Fine, then. You'll get one partner for now. One."

"Auror Conner, I do _not_ need a partner."

"Head Auror Berry, the Team and I think you do." Rachel opened her mouth to protest but Sid held his hand up. "Listen, at least while you're keeping an eye on Berry your partner can keep an eye out for the murderer." he said.

"I've told you, no, Sid."

"Rachel, you don't have a choice. The Minister approved it. If we come back with the same amount of Aurors we left with, he's not going to be happy."

"Wait, my partner's already here?" Sid smiled. "There you go, that's the spirit. And yes, he is." Rachel groaned, "It's nobody bad, is it?"

"Actually, he's off the emergency list." Rachel raised her head, "That's not so bad. Who is it?" Sid looked at his watch, "He should be here any minute. He's one of your favourites, Rach."

As if on que, a brown head boy burst through the doors. "Am I fashionably late yet?" Rachel turned around to see a tall boy standing before her in Slytherin robes. "Kurt!" she squealed.

* * *

><p><strong>How do you like THEM apples! Awh yeah. I feel really bad about Myrtle though, so I gave Rachel her best friend. I can't lie, I ship the Hummelberry friendship hardcore. Also, it doesn't hurt that Kurt is my favourite character. <strong>

**I'm not making any promises of when I'll update next, between family/friend/baby issues, I'm really hoping I can update within the week or next week. Also, who's been following Glee? Being a hardcore Klaine shipper, I am loving season three.**

**So since I'm not making any update promises, how about a preview for the next chapter, eh?**

**You can expect to see some seduction of a certain Slytherin, an almost murder, a murder, and a few punches. **

**I'm so vague. You can punch me if you'd like.**

**PS: ****I don't need feedback, but it'd be horribly wonderful of you guys. c:**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ahh. You all can kill me now, for not updating. I do, though, have mostly legit reasons for not posting. Some of them are rather personal, others are just rediculous. Anyways, I'd like to ask that if anyone who reads my story is religious, pray for my mom. She's having surgery now, and we're also waiting on test results back to see if she has cancer. It's been a trying time. x:**

**Depressing things aside, everybody, I do not own Glee or Harry Potter, neither do I own their respective characters, Plot's mine, blahblah. All that good stuff. Also I should warn you that Tom and Puck cuss a lot. And I promise all of the jumping scenes has a purpose.**

**And I will explain song choices in the A/N at the bottom. ALLRIGHTIE, ONWARDS TO THE TELLING OF THE STORY.**

* * *

><p>"Name?"<p>

The girl stared up at the Auror, trying not to look scared out of her wits. "O-Olive Hornb-by, Sir."

"Olive Horn-beebee? What kind of name is that?" he asked without looking up from his parchment.

"No...It's um..Hornby, Sir."

Still not having looked up, he said, "Thank you for speaking coherently, kid. Call me Puck."

Olive ruffled, afraid or not, she was _not_ a kid. The boy looked at most two years older than her. And she said as much. "I'm not a kid, _Puck. _You're barely even a year older than me!" Puck looked up from the parchment then. "You will _not_ talk to an Auror like that, _child._" She started to open her mouth and Puck cut her off. "And it's none of your damn business how old I am, kid." Puck smiled when the Hornby kid shut her mouth and sat back obediently. "Good. Now...What happened last night, Olive? Anything memorable?"

Olive raised her nose indignantly. "As if you don't know."

Puck raised an eyebrow. Well, if she was going to be bitchy he could too. "No, what I don't _know_ is if you're a bottle blond or not. But, please. Enlighten me. To both." He added. "Daddy payed good money for my hair. And some girl was killed last night." Puck wanted so badly to make a comment on the Daddy thing, but decided not to. "Okay, Olive. Were you friends with the girl?"

The girl raised her nose indignantly, as if the idea offended her. "Myrtle? Merlin no." Pucks eyebrow climbed further up his forehead. "You two didn't get along." he prompted. Puck scribbled something down on his parchment. "Did you two hate each other?"

Olives eyes widened in realization, "I didn't do anything to her!" Puck smiled. "Awfully defensive, Olive."

Olive relaxed into a calmer stance, shrugging. "Of course, because _everyone_ hated the bloody girl! Why am I being singled out?" Puck resisted the urge to hit his head on the table. "Everyone. Really, Olive," he deadpanned. "Nevermind. How about a story? I love stories. Your alibi has been cleared for before dinner...So what happened during and after dinner, Olive?"

Olive glared at him defiantly, "Why?"

"Because," Puck said patiently, his annoyance only seeping into his voice a little bit. "You, my darling girl, are a freaking suspect. Now, spill the story or I'll get an even _more _unpleasant Auror in here." Olive sat back against the chair, "Well, _Auror_ I tried to talk to Berry-"

"Rachel Berry?" Puck asked. "Yeah," she snorted. "The bitch w—" Olive stopped when Puck slammed his hand on the table. He wasn't going to let this bratty _child_ talk shit about Rachel. Even if she could be a bitch. He noticed Olive looking at him with wide suspicious eyes and realized his mistake. "Bug." He explained with a tight lipped smile. "O-kay...She shoved my offer for friendship in my face because I insulted her precious _Myrtle._" Knowing Rachel, Puck knew the denying of friendship probably came with a few witty insults. "Mytle -the bitch- left because she was laughing too hard. So Berry made a few more jokes after the mudblood left and I walked away the better person. No harm." Puck flipped to the back of the parchment, writing down _Blood Prejudice against Muggleborns (Myrtle)_. He picked up a different piece of parchment next, studying it. Ah ha, Rachels report of last night.

Merlin, it was long. He skimmed through it, _Insulted me, blahblahblah, called Myrtle out on being Muggleborn, blahblahblah, ran from dinner in the same direction Myrtle left._ He was about to speak when he noticed the note at the bottom. _Note: Insults were only in self defense. However, this does not make them less true._ Puck snorted. Only Rachel.

Back to the task at hand, though, Olive walked out the same direction of Myrtle. That was something, at least.

"What did you do after the confrontation with Miss Berry, Olive?"

"I was angry. I left." Olive said with no emotion.

Pucks patience was really wearing thin. He ran a tired hand through his mohawk. "Right, you left. Specifically in the direction the victim."

"I didn't do anything to her."

Puck nearly smiled, there it was. He scribbled something down on the parchment again. "I hadn't asked you if you'd done anything, Olive. But thanks for putting the thought in mind." Olives eyes widened, "I-I didn't—you can't think—!" Puck looked shocked, "No, but that's another thought!" he tried not to smile as he scribbled something down on the parchment yet again.

* * *

><p>Tom rubbed at his eyes tiredly, scribbling down whatever Horrace Slughorn had on the chalk board. For once, he was actually attempting to pay attention to Slughorn. He needed a distraction because Berry wasn't here for him to pick on. Probably locked in her dorm crying. The image gave him amusement. Tom threw his quill onto the desk and rested his hand on his arm with a sigh.<p>

Okay. Not completely amusement. There was another emotion he couldn't put his finger on. And he didn't like it _at fucking all._

He raised his hand, "Professor? May I be excused?" Slughorn raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "I'm really not feeling well, Sir, another headache..." Tom trailed off, looking at his Professor with such a pained expression that Slughorn had no choice but to agree. "Sure, Tom. If it gets any worse, don't hesitate to come to my classroom for a remedy!" Tom nodded his thanks and collected his things. "Thank you, Professor, I will." Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Tom walked quickly out of the classroom and all but ran down the corridor.

Thinking time. He needed thinking time. But where could he achieve it? The Chamber was automatically ruled out. If the student body wasn't swarming the bathroom, teachers were. If teachers weren't...Aurors probably were. Dorm?...No. He needed a change of scenery. Nobody was aloud out of the castle, so that wasn't an option. Restricted section? Perfect. Tom started heading towards the library, a small smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Olive sputtered for a few moments before Puck sighed and stood up. "Listen kid, tell the truth and you won't be in much trouble, I swear."<p>

Olive stared down at the floor silently. Puck studied the blond girl. She wasn't a murderer. Maybe a stuck up bitch, but not a murderer. "Honest." he said. Olive looked up at him. "I didn't want her to die. I didn't...I just..." And then Olive burst into tears. Puck immediately felt uncomfortable. Taking down baddies? No problem. Interrogating killers? No problem. Crying girls? Absolutely terrifying. "Er..."

"I...I just insulted h-her glasses. I d-didn't wa-want anything to h-h-happen to h-her!"

Puck raked a hand down his face. _Please dear Merlin, make it stop._

"A-ask Jan or A-Alice or Betty! Th-they were with m-me."

"I will, Olive. You're free to go." Olive stood up to walk out the door and paused in front of Puck. She hesitated a moment before flinging herself on him, sobbing violently. Puck tried peeling her off, but she clung to him. He sighed in defeat, scooting carefully to the door. He opening it and yelled down the hall, "Uh, Sid? Can I have your help removing something?" After a bit of mumbling he heard Sids' answering call of, "I swear to Merlin Puck, I have _told _you that you should go to a healer for that."

Puck hit his head on the door. "Oh for f—I got that taken care of last month! Just..Just send one of the girls back!" Puck heard a snort then: "Okay. The girls just got done with the crime scene. I'll send one down." Puck patted the crying girl on the head awkwardly, "It's...uh...it's okay..." A few moments later a voice came down the hall, "Puuuck?"

"Yeah, in here, Britt." The slender blond appeared next to him and he nearly cried in relief. "Oh thank Merlin, can you please detach this thing?" Brittany gave him a sharp look, even if her eyes still had dreamy quality to them, they were still angry. "She's not a thing." Puck shrugged. "Whatever, get her off me." Brittany started to lift her wand and Puck held his hand up, "No, Brittany! She's not glued to me. I just need you to comfort her!"

"Ohhh."

"Yeah, Brittany."

"Why didn't you just say so?"

Puck hit his head on the door again. "I don't _know_ Brittany," he gritted out. "but could you hurry? I have to talk to Sid before we take off."

Brittany smiled happily, bending her knees to be the same height as Olive. "Hey, you. Why you crying?" Olives response was muffled by her sobbing and Pucks Auror robes, but that didn't deter Brittany. "Aw, we still have work to do before it's your fault!" Puck wasn't skilled in the art of comforting sobbing women, but he was pretty sure she was doing it wrong. "I'm sure you only meant to hurt her self esteem," Brittany assured. Puck resisted the urge to hit his head on the door again when Olive sobbed harder. How the _fuck_ did Brittany even understand her?

"Now, now. Olive, is it? Give Brittany a hug!" Brittany held her arms open, and the girl flung herself into them. Puck let out a breath of relief, "Thanks Britt." The blond shrugged.

Puck gathered his parchments, leaving the two blonds as quickly as possible. Puck was never going to interrogate chicks again. Ever. Puck rounded the corner, facing not Sid, but a distraught looking Finn Hudson. "Hey, uh. Puck?" Puck raised an eyebrow. "We uh. Have a bit of an issue." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and Puck sighed. "I'm not the Head Auror right now, Finn. That'd be Sid."

Finn rubbed his neck again, "Uhh..."

Puck ran a hand through his mohawk. "Who fucked up this time?"

* * *

><p>Rachel and Kurt sat at one of the few tables in the restricted section in a companionable silence.<p>

Kurt cleared his throat, trying to break the silence. "So, you and Riddle. You two have a history, after being here only what? A day? Two days?" Rachel glared. "Kurt, come on. No." He raised an eyebrow, and Rachel sighed. "Yeah, okay. He's an ass." Kurt giggled. "Oh?" She slapped his arm, "Ha _ha_. No, really, he is such a jerk. And at times, I think he's...into...me. But other time's not, because he's just such a...Merlin, I still cannot find a word nasty enough to describe him!"

"Is he hot?"

"Kurt! Not helping."

He shrugged, "What? You don't know if he's gay." Rachel slapped his arm again. "No, we don't! Let's keep it that way."

They fell back into a silence, and Rachel sighed. She'd missed Kurt. She'd have left him in charge if she could have. He just didn't have as much training as Sid did. Though, if she'd have left Kurt in charge he'd probably have changed the entire teams robes again. Not that it was a bad idea. They were pretty ugly. Kurt would have probably died if he'd seen Myrtle's dreary palor and outfits. Rachel vaguely wondered how Kurt and Myrtle would have gotten along.

"I have an idea. A game, really." Rachel started at Kurts voice, "Merlin, way to scare the Head of your department." Kurt chuckled, "Come on Berry, I know you don't scare that easy." Rachel gave a small smile, "Lost in thoughts. Anyways. You mentioned a challenge?"

"Seduce the Slytherin."

Rachel couldn't help it; her mouth dropped open. "Kurt Hummel, that is a horrible game—"

"But a fun one."

"Kurt, you have a boyfriend!" she tried.

"Never said I was going to court the man, Rachel."

"Kurt I'm no—" she groaned.

Kurt interrupted her calmly. "Is Rachel Berry backing down from a challenge?"

Rachel clenched her jaw. "Are you insane?" Kurt smiled, "there's my Rachel." The two fell into easy conversation after that, Rachel telling Kurt about how beautiful Hogwarts was, and actually saying a bit about Myrtle. "Kurt, she just reminded me so much of me, you know? I mean, you _know_ how they were at Beauxbatons. And back home. It's horrible that she had to go through that. She was only fourteen, Kurt." Kurt put an arm around her when she finished. "Hey, you. Don't start, okay? You gave her a friend before she died. You let her know someone cared. I bet that's more than she could have asked for, Rachel."

Rachel leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "How do you always know how the right thing to say?" He smiled, "Honorary woman, it's one of the perks." Rachel laughed, "Yeah, I'd imagine." Rachel sighed, and another silence fell between the two. This time, it was a comforting silence. Rachel was glad for it. "I'm going to marry you one day, Kurt. It'll be against your will. And you'll be the perfect housewife." Kurt laughed, "I think Blaine already has dibs on me, Rach."

"Damn," Rachel cursed, bursting into a fit of giggles. "Come on. How long has it been since you've sang?" Rachel shrugged. "Yesterday, actually." Kurt bent down and pulled his wand from his fashionable knee high boots. "Twenty four hours? How do you live?" He put a hand to his forehead dramatically, pretending to faint. Rachel smiled, "I don't know how to go on! Hurry! I need a fix!" Kurt laughed with Rachel, and she smiled even wider. It'd been a really long week and she really had missed the boy. As if sensing her thoughts on him, Kurt turned around and winked. Rachel stuck her tongue out at his back as she watched him transfigure one of the three tables into a piano. He sat down and started playing an all too familiar song. It was one of their favourites.

Rachel hopped up onto the table next to the piano and started singing.

_Come on babe,_  
><em>Why don't we paint the town?<em>  
><em>And all that Jazz..<em>

Rachel took off her school robes, leaving her in her white shirt, skirt and Ravenclaw tie.

_I'm gonna rouge my knees,_  
><em>And roll my stockings down,<em>  
><em>And all that jazz...<em>

Rachel hopped off the table, returning with the most harmless looking book she could find.

_Start the car,_  
><em>I know a whoopee spot,<em>

Rachel transfigured the book into a top hat, throwing it onto Kurts head from her perch on the table.

_Where the gin is cold,  
><em>_But the piano's hot!_

She jumped onto the piano, taking the top hat from Kurt and turning around.

_It's just a noisy hall,_  
><em>Where there's a nightly brawl..<em>  
><em>And all,<em>

_That,_

Rachel pulled her skirt up to her mid-thigh, throwing a wink over her shoulder to Kurt as she rang out:

_Jazz_

Kurt played the piano, giggling as Rachel was trying to reenact Velma Kellys moves.

_So lick your hair,_  
><em>And wear your buckle shoes,<em>  
><em>And all that Jazz<em>!

_I hear that Father Dip_  
><em>Is gonna blow the blues,<em>  
><em>And all that Jazz!<em>

Rachel walked across the piano, losening her tie.

_Hold on, hon,_  
><em>We're gonna bunny hug!<em>  
><em>I bought some aspirin,<em>  
><em>Down at United Drug,<em>

She hopped onto the table, walking across it while taking her tie off.

_I case you shake apart,_  
><em>And want a brand new start!<em>

She hopped to the floor next to Kurt, slipping the tie around his neck

_To do that,_

She yanked the tie as she fell into his lap, singing the last note in an amazing imitation of Velma:

_JAZZ!_

The pair dissolved into laughter, "I can't even begin to explain how fun that was." Rachel said. Kurt smiled, "Have I ever done you wrong?" Rachel giggled. "A few times." Kurt scoffed, and Rachel yanked her tie down so she could kiss his cheek. "Ouch! You know, when you yank on that thing, it almost hurts." Rachel sat up from her position in her lap to kiss him on the cheek this time. "Better?"

Somewhere behind them, a throat cleared.

* * *

><p>Tom was going to leave. He had planned on it, but really. Rachels dancing had distracted him. She was so...<p>

...No. He wasn't going to think about it. Nope. What he was going to think about was who the hell that bloke getting so friendly with Rachel was! Who did he think he was! He didn't even _know_ Rachel. She didn't need to be in his _lap._ He cleared his throat.

Rachel and the brown headed boy jumped up, the boy removing Rachels scarf from around his neck before they both turned around. "I'm sor—Riddle?"

Tom notice the tall boy beside Rachel perk up. Rachel elbowed him. "What are you doing here?" she asked icily. Tom ignored her, hiding his rage under a questioning gaze. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Rachel opened her mouth but the boy cut her off. "Kurt." he stuck his hand out. Tom stepped forward and gripped the boys hand tighter than he normally would before letting go, taking note of his Slytherin robes.

"And to answer your question, _Princess_, Slughorn gave me permission."

Rachel shifted slightly, before she could move the boy—Kurt—said, "Rach. I've got this."

Kurt crossed his arms, a glint in his eyes. "Listen. You will not patronize my girl over here. I could easily let her get you. She knows some pretty nasty hexes I taught her." Tom eyed him, not liking being threatened. "Right, such as?"

"Well, have you ever had your privates explode?" Rachel asked from beside the boy. "He taught me that one about a month before I came here. Still pretty fresh in my mind."

To his credit, Tom didn't recoil visibly. Inside though, he cringed. He decided to change the subject. "You know, that's the exact thing she said to me."

Kurt glanced at Rachel before answering."She doesn't like being patronized. Especially by little boys w—Ow!" Tom looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "...bit my tongue." Kurt offered, glaring at Rachel. Tom heard something that sounded a lot like "Not your fight." and "Blaine". He filed it away for later. "I gather you two know each other from how..._well acquainted_ you two looked a moment ago." Rachel burst out laughing, and Kurt turned red. "What?" he asked. Rachel only laughed harder, and Kurt turned a darker red. "N-nothing." he said. Rachel giggled, "Subtle approach?" she asked him. He shrugged. "Let's not make it like Beauxbatons, shall we?"

Tom got the feeling he was missing a few big somethings. And he really hated it. The two before him carried on with their banter and Tom stayed silent the entire time, taking notes for later. It wasn't until the clock struck out two o'clock that the two glanced at each other sadly. Tom couldn't be more fucking confused. Rachel hugged Kurt, "I'll be back soon. And yes, I'll be fine." Kurt rolled his eyes, "No more than an hour." he said. Tom wanted to beat his head on the wall. He had no idea what they were talking about, and it only angered him further when they had a conversation with their eyes. "Sure. Maybe you can get ahead in the game." She winked at Kurt, and then turned to Tom. "Riddle...see you later."

He nodded at Rachel as she walked away. He was about to turn to Kurt when he realized something. When did Berry become Rachel?

* * *

><p>When Finn didn't answer, Puck sighed. "Really Finn. I can't fix the freaking problem if you don't show it to me."<p>

"Alright..." Finn said, sidestepping to the right to reveal a short man with black curly hair. "Anderson?" Puck barked. The boy flinched. "I just wanted to say goodbye to Kurt..." He pleaded.

Puck groaned, "You did that this morning, Anderson. Fucking Sid is going to kill us if we don't get you back before we get back, you know that?" The curly haired boy flinched again, "I'm sorry?" he offered.

"Blaine, don't _give_ me that shit." a quiet 'told you so' came from Finn. Both of the boys shot him a dirty look. "Now is not the time, Hudson." Finn winced at the use of his last name. Yep, he was in trouble too. "Blaine, you have less than a fucking hour to tell your boyfriend goodbye. And you, Hudson, are going with him. To find Kurt and to take him back to the office. Make sure that Sid doesn't find you guys."

Puck turned on his heel and walked away, while Blaine and Finn started walking in the opposite direction. The two boys paused simultaneously. Puck hadn't needed to turn around. "Library!" He said before disappearing around a corner. "Any idea where the library is?" Finn asked. Blaine shrugged, "try third floor."

* * *

><p>"So, you've known Berry for a while."<p>

Kurt looked up from the piano keys, surprised. "Er, yeah."

Tom leaned against the table next to him, "How long have you guys been together?" He watched as Kurt straightened his green and silver tie, ears reddening. "I'm—er, we're...We're not together, Riddle..." He offered awkwardly.

"Call me Tom. And well, that's too bad," Tom said, suddenly in a better mood. "Do you have a girl of your own, then?" Kurt seemed to blush a dark red and mumbled, "Yeah, something like that..." How he ever got into Slytherin with confidence like that was beyond Tom. He tried to keep the sneer off of his face. Good mood or not, the kid seemed a disgrace his ancestor.

Tom watched as the Kurt boy all but backed away from him when he leaned over to watch him play. What could have him so jumpy? And why did he have to fucking blush so much? And why was Rachel so comfortable around him? Like he was her god damn brother. And if Rachel wasn't his girlfriend, who was? And what was with the "something like that" comment?

_Oh._

The pieces came together, and Tom almost laughed. Oh, dear Merlin this was going to be fun.

Kurt noticed Tom staring and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Do you play?" He asked, nodding down to his hands on the piano keys. Tom smiled, he might as well have fun with this. "Not exactly. Easy tunes only. Nothing like what you had been playing. What was that, by the way?" Kurt smiled. "That, my dear friend, was Jazz music. It's from a musical back in America, actually." he added, noting Riddles eyebrow raise. Kurts smile turned sly as he remembered the game he had with Rachel. "Want to learn it?" He scooted over on the makeshift piano bench. "I won't hex you. Yet." Tom studied the boy. He was a handsome boy, and his high countertenor voice just seemed to fit him. Tom got the feeling the boy had a completely different side to him that had landed him in Slytherin. He wondered what it took to bring it out. Since now was not the time for that, he wondered how uncomfortable he could make the boy.

Trying his best not to look surprised when Tom moved to stand behind him, Kurt reminded himself that Tom didn't know that he was gay. Or that he had a boyfriend. Speaking of...Kurt felt a little guilty about this. But it was for Rachels good. And it wasn't like he was going to kiss Riddle, now was he? Nope. Tom spoke then, nearly scaring him. "I think I'll just watch. I'm more of a visual learner."

Kurt shrugged, tapping out a gentle song halfheartedly with his right hand. As Kurt hummed along, Tom had to admit, it sounded interesting. At the orphanage, they had had a piano. It had been really old, and broke down a lot. But Tom had loved playing it. "What are you playing?" Tom asked.

"It's from another musical, actually." Kurt put both hands on the piano, singing along to the last part of the verse.

_And while we spoke of many things, _  
><em>Fools and Kings, <em>  
><em>This he said to me:<em>  
><em>The Greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.<em>

As impressed as he was, Tom wasn't going to show it. "Can you play it again?" he asked. Kurt glanced over his shoulder at him, realizing too late that he was closer than anticipated. "Sure!" he said, voice impossibly higher than normal. "It's really easy." He demonstrated the verse he'd just played, and Tom smiled. "Right, so. Like...This?" He asked, placing his hands right next to Kurts on the piano. He saw Kurt wince. "Yeah, then, you play this." Kurt played a more complicated verse next, and Riddle still hadn't moved from his position behind him. His back was all but pressed against Toms stomach. Tom had no problem invading other peoples personal space. He found it amusing to see people squirm—only when people were invading his did he have a problem.

Riddle messed up twice because his arms weren't close enough on the keys, which only made him scoot closer to Kurt. And Kurt scoot closer to the piano. Tom smiled. "Is this better?" He watched Kurt swallow with difficulty—something his trained Slytherin eye noticed. "Yep." A tense silence fell between the two and Kurt coughed. "Would you like to learn the song Rachel sang earlier? It's a little bit easier until you get to the crescendo."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "I'm never one to turn down a challenge." Kurt shrugged and played the first part, where Rachel had been on the table. Tom nearly blushed thinking of it—and he never blushed. Another thing to damn the girl to Azkaban for.

Kurt hummed along to it, and Tom was a bit fascinated with the song. Jazz. Huh. He'd have to look into that. He leaned a bit closer to Kurt, noting the way he almost missed a key. Tom smiled. He really had no problem with homosexuality, really. He didn't care who you loved, so long as it wasn't a mudblood, he thought distractedly. "Could you please back up?" Kurt asked through clenched teeth.

Tom shrugged noncommittally and sat down onto the makeshift piano bench, leaving very little space between them. He rested his back against the keys and sighed. "So, why don't you have a girlfriend?" Kurt stopped playing all together. "E-excuse me?"

"I'm sure you heard me."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "That was you? For a moment there, I swore I heard a gossiping ten year old." Tom snorted. "Rachel can do worse than that."

"Why do you call her Rachel? From what she told me, you both aren't even on speaking terms."

A flash of anger crossed Toms face before he a calm smile took it's place. "True enough. If you guys are so close, why aren't you in a relationship?"

"It's none of your business, Riddle." Tom leaned against him to put his elbow on the piano keys, resting his head on his hand. Kurt noticed with great relief that his face was still at least a foot away. "Well, you can't blame me for being curious." Tom said with an unreadable smile. Kurt tried to lean away, but Tom just scooted closer like earlier. After Kurt didn't answer, Tom tilted his head forward a few inches. "Do you have a _boyfriend_?" Tom asked innocently.

Suddenly he was being yanked from bench by a shorter man—and _wow _was he a lot stronger than he looked—and held up by the boys fist clenched in his robes. "Well, let me be the first to reiterate the statement that it's none of your damn business." He kept a tight grip on Toms shirt.

"And who the fuck are you?" Tom asked angrily.

"That's none of your business either, kid." The boy said.

Tom glanced behind the short man to find Kurt dragging a hand down his now red face. "Blaine..." Kurt chastised. It took all of five seconds to put the pieces together—they didn't look like brothers, and the way Kurt looked at him was too full of adoration to be just friends. "Oh, so you _do_ have a_ boyfriend_. Tiny thing, isn't he?" Tom said, amused.

Tom caught the look of anger on the shorter mans face, and decided that statement had been a bad idea. The thought barely had time to register before the boys fist caught Tom in the eye. _Hard._

_"Blaine!" _Kurt said from behind the two, his arms now crossed over his chest. "Drop the Slytherin." Blaine looked over his shoulder, his face reddening. Without a word, he shoved Tom away. Tom was still too stunned to even speak. "...I think you broke him." Kurt said as Blaine moved to stand beside him. They stared at Tom—in Blaines case, glaring maliciously—who's face was a deep shade of red. "I'm still not sorry." Kurt gave him an icy glare. "Karfosky won't happen again, Blaine. We know how to take care of ourselves." Blaine didn't say anything back.

Kurt sighed angrily and turned away. "Riddle, you okay?" Tom was clenching and unclenching his fists angrily, his entire face still a deep red. Instead of answering, he stomped off in the direction of the dungeons. "...That'd probably be a 'no'." came a voice behind them. Kurt, having gone through training, didn't jump at the sound. He did turn around though. Blaine on the other hand, who was still in training, jumped a good height in the air. Kurt smiled at that. "Novice." he teased, poking his boyfriend in the side. Blaine just swatted his hand away. "Yes?" Kurt asked Finn, still attempting to poke Blaine. Finn watched with amusement. "I'm just here to bring the 'tiny thing' back to the office." Kurts face fell slightly. "I wish you could stay." he said, turning to Blaine. Blaine smiled a small half smile. "Novice, remember? Not aloud to go out on these big bad missions like you."

Finn wasn't entirely oblivious, so he gave the couple some privacy, going to a book shelf about four rows down.

Kurt sat down on the piano bench, and sighed. "Blaine, I won't be gone forever. This mission could even be over in a day or two." the shorter boy shrugged. "My schedule will be all messed up now. I won't have anybody to take out to lunch, I'll have to eat at the Ministrys cafeteria! I'll get food poisoning, all because you're gone." Kurt laughed, standing up to hug Blaine. "I'll miss you too, sweetheart. Take Santana out to lunch. She'll go to Breadstix with you. She loves it."

The look on Blaines face was one comical. "Santana? She's..."

"...Inappropriate?" Kurt offered. "Yes." Kurt giggled. "Take Brittany out then,"

"But," Blaine said, putting his hands around Kurts waist. "I want _you._" Kurt looped his arms around his boyfriends neck. "You should get back to the office." he said. "Sure." said Blaine. But neither of them moved, they were content to stare into eachothers eyes. "I love you." Kurt said, tilting his head just slightly to kiss Blaine.

* * *

><p>Four bookshelfs away, Finn was looking through the C section, working his way down to B and humming softly to himself. He resisted the urge to grab the more dangerous looking books, instead contenting himself to the less life threatening, and therefore boring books.<p>

Sort of.

He'd periodically poke the spine of a book, to see the reactions. One shrank away from his touch. One leaned into it and gave what he thought was a purr, but sounded more like a growl. One glowed bright and burned his finger. When he got to the beginning of the B shelf, touched a book that had a snake as a spine. It turned it's head to hiss at him. _Was that a real snake?_

Finn poked it again, this time the snake nearly snapped at him. Amused, he poked it again, narrowly avoiding it's jaws. "One more time." Finn murmured to himself. His hand darted out, and, before he could retract it, the snake bit down on his pointer finger. He pulled his hand back, the book and snake coming with him. "Fuuuu—!" Finn shook his hand, trying to get the snake/book to let go. To his relief, it did. The book fell to the floor with a disgruntled hiss and a soft _thud._ Clutching his injured hand to his chest, he glared at the book. The snake on the spine only hissed and glared back.

That's when Finn noticed it. A note that had probably fallen out when he was trying to shake the demonic book off. He almost bent down to get it when a hiss emanated from the book. He took out his wand, levitating the book back onto the shelf before bending down and retrieving the note. "_Fake information. Book 1/4" _He read aloud. He looked back at the book curiously, one of four? Fake information on what?

Well, if the spine was any indication, it was about snakes...

and it was in the B section...

Wasn't there sort of snake that started with a B?

Before his train of thought could get any farther, Blaine and Kurt appeared in front of him. "Are you okay?" Kurt asked, concerned. Finn felt confused for a moment, until he remembered he had cried out when the snake bit him. "Um, yeah. Just got mauled by a book." Kurt gave him an unimpressed glare. "What's in your hand?" Blaine asked.

Finn shrugged. "Just something that fell out of a book,"

"...are you bleeding?"

At Kurts worried voice, Finn looked to his hand. It was more blood than he anticipated, but it wasn't anything bad. "Stop being so motherly. I'm fine. I can have Sid heal it in like, two seconds." The two raised their eyebrows at him. "All right..."

They sat in a tense silence for a moment, before Kurt said, "You two better get back to the office before Sid finds out he's gone."

Blaine and Finn suddenly looked frightened. "Oh, Merlin! I forgot! I'm sorry Kurt, I'll owl you!"

The boys started briskly walking away, and Kurt shouted after them.

"Take care of him, Finn!"

"Will do!"

"I love you!"

Kurt laughed, "I love you too, Blaine. Now go, before Sid kills you."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay. I know I promised a murder and everything, but...things happened, and that's going to be appearing soon. c;<strong>

**So anyways; song choices! If you're a total theatre geek like me, you know immediately those two songs. The first being from the musical _Chicago_, (_All That Jazz_) and the other being from_ Moulin Rouge_, (I mean, technically, it's David Bowie, but it's called _Nature Boy_.)**

**Anyways, _Chicago_ was set in the twenties, Tom went to Hogwarts in the thirties. _Moulin Rouge_ was set in like..didn't he say somewhere "summer of 1899"? either way, it was before the thirties. So, I'm using those songs, due to their fictional timeline, not their chronological one!:D Does that make sense..?**

**Also, I've done my research—which isn't hard, being an avid Potter fan—and found out Myrtle _was _indeed killed by Olive Hornby. I have no idea of her actual personality or her friends, but hey. It's a fanfiction.**

**And to those of you who ship Klaine as hard as I do, there's a tad bit of Klaine in it for you. I always have to write Klaine something or other. **

**I hope you guys don't hate me too much for not updating, I apologize very, very much.**

**(Oh, and I'm curious, have any of my readers read CP Coulters Dalton? If not, go read it. I'm a total Jogan shipper. Or, Gondolier, rather. xD )**

**Allrightie now, any complaints, compliments, or just to talk, review. Thank you sososo much for sticking with this story.**


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